It’s a two-week wrap-up, and a pretty good two weeks overall! I didn’t read a whole lot last week, so I skipped the wrap-up, but I read plenty this week. I had several successful reads and a couple I DNFed just to keep myself from falling back into a slump – nothing too bad in this mix.
Let’s start with the 5-stars, two books that were recently released in audio! J.T. Geissinger’s audiobooks are so good (duet-style, full cast) that I decided to wait til her newest released on audio before digging in. That means I’ve been impatiently waiting to read Liars Like Us since the end of May… and I had already finished the audiobook by bedtime on release day, lol. It was over the top, super spicy, and perfect for bingeing. Another series starter that’s newly available in audio is Off to the Races by Elsie Silver. I adore her Chestnut Springs series, so I loved going back and experiencing her debut – which was pretty stellar for a first book! Lots of enemies to lovers tension and an intriguing cast of characters. I’m definitely looking forward to continuing both series.
Next up are two 4-star reads, both of which were great on audio as well. The newest from Pippa Grant is a lighthearted small town romance, a standalone with a quieter feel. I still prefer her indie romances to her traditionally published ones (totally different tones), but it was a solid read. I also enjoyed Rent to Be, which I’d consider more of a romance/women’s fiction crossover. It’s a brother’s best friend romance that tackles some heavier issues like debt and career dissatisfaction, all while building a relationship between two former frenemies.
I also checked out an indie debut, Morbidly Yours, which sounded fun and different – and it was! I really liked the premise and the hero, but I struggled with the pacing and a side plot that derailed the romance. It was strong for a debut though, and I’d be interested in checking out more by the author.
Since I’m just getting out of a reading slump, I left two books unfinished. The newest from Melanie Harlow was a little lust-focused and instalovey for my tastes, so I didn’t emotionally connect and found it easy to set down. I actually really enjoyed Keyed Up, but I’ve been struggling more and more with third person POV lately. The book is good, the POV is simply tough for me – and I’m all about easy reading experiences right now.
Finally, I watched the new Red, White & Royal Blue movie, and I thought it was great! I haven’t read the book (gasp!), but the movie was fun and super sexy. The characters had tons of chemistry, and it flew by for me. I’d probably read the book now… if it wasn’t in third person, lol!
We’ve got a quieter release week ahead of us, so not sure if I’ll try to get ahead on ARCs or tackle my TBR – we’ll see! There are a few new books I’m looking forward to though, so this mood reader can never plan ahead.
If you read my Teaser Thursday post (found here), you know that there are some exciting books on the way soon! I’ll have reviews going up throughout the week.
If you missed any of this week’s reviews, I’ve got the blurb and rating for each below. There’s also a link to my new release list.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Loved it 🎧
Keeping things professional with my employees has never been an issue. Until she waltzed onto my property.
Billie is talented. She’s mouthy. And she’s so damn tempting. I can’t stop thinking about all the ways I could take her down a peg.
I can’t stop thinking about her, period.
We clash from the moment we meet. And in a small town, on an even smaller farm, it’s hard to keep your distance. It’s even harder to keep that friction from turning to fire.
But keeping my distance? That might be the biggest struggle of all. Because Billie is the whole package, whip-smart with a body I fantasize about when I’m alone, and quite possibly the only woman who can save this business—and me.
She drives me crazy. In every sense of the word. Every smart-mouthed little comment—every game we play—I end up wanting more. Wanting her closer. With me. Under me.
I try not to let her get to me, but the more time we spend together the more I crave her. Her lips. Her trust. Her heart.
I want it all.
But at what cost?
Because suddenly I don’t just want to win races, I want to win the girl.
Read the audiobook review here
Amazon: https://amzn.to/3s1LeiU
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Super spicy 🎧
The devil’s in the details when a struggling business owner agrees to marry an enigmatic stranger in exchange for his help.
I’d barely been keeping my indie book store going even before the big national chain opened right next door, but I couldn’t deny the truth any longer: the end was here.
Devastated, I took my staff to a fancy restaurant to break the news. I didn’t realize anyone else overheard, but the devil has sharp ears.
Callum McCord walked into my store the next day and offered me an enormous sum of money to save my business. But his help comes with a price.
Marriage.
He said he needs a wife in name only to fulfill a condition of his father’s will.
He said I can have anything I want, including separate bedrooms.
He said it’s the perfect arrangement for us both.
What he didn’t say is that though he acts like a gentleman, he’s anything but.
Or that having separate bedrooms isn’t the only thing he’s lying about.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Author’s note: Liars Like Us is a dark standalone marriage of convenience/billionaire romance with an obsessive & possessive morally gray hero and spicy bedroom scenes intended for mature readers only.
Read the audiobook review here
Amazon: https://amzn.to/3YWjw2d
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Laidback slow burn 🎧
From USA Today bestselling author Pippa Grant comes a rollicking romantic comedy about a single mom and a grumpy math teacher tackling their differences on a Wyoming ranch.
I knew fixing up my life with a fresh start on the hobby ranch I inherited in Hell’s Bells, Wyoming, would come with challenges. Things like snow. Wildlife. Local gossip about why my daughter and I are here.
But the biggest challenge?
My surly new tenant.
He’s like a bear. Fascinating from a distance, but don’t get too close, or he’ll bite.
His personality should be a good thing. I have no need of a new man in my life. But he’s not only my tenant; he’s also my daughter’s math teacher and soccer coach. I keep running into him. He keeps thinking I need to be saved.
Maybe I do, but here’s what I don’t expect: he’s a fixer-upper in need of saving too.
And I might be the only woman for the job.
Hell’s Bells, help me.
Read the audiobook review here
Amazon: https://amzn.to/47vjC6b
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Women’s fiction/romance crossover 🎧
Perfect for fans of Tessa Bailey and Beth O’Leary, in this bright, laugh-out-loud rom-com, the grind of the millennial struggle is a lot more fun when you add falling in love to the mix.
Isla Jane is living the millennial nightmare. She’s got a shiny new MBA and no way to pay for it, thanks to her dead-end entry-level job, and nowhere to live, thanks to her miserable salary. Going home to her parents is not possible, but for once Isla’s brother may be her saving grace. He’s out of town on business for a month, meaning the guest room in his condo is blissfully empty.
Or so Isla thinks, until she runs into Cade Greenley, her brother’s best friend—who’s crashing there while his own condo is undergoing renovations. When a desperate plan to sleep under her desk miraculously turns into a house-sitting job for one of the big bosses at her office, Isla is certain her luck has turned—with no one, Cade included, the wiser. It’s a perfect solution—until Cade catches her sunbathing at a mansion that is definitely not hers, and she admits she’s house-sitting because she can’t afford rent.
The pair strike a deal—Cade will keep Isla’s secret from her overbearing parents if she agrees to pose as his girlfriend at a few upcoming corporate events. The fun and friendly vibe of his office is a surprise compared to hers, but the biggest shock is that each “date” with Cade feels less and less fake. Suddenly she’s looking forward to every minute they spend together while the chemistry between them sizzles. As Isla’s house-sitting scheme begins to unravel, she’ll have to face the fact that her biggest lie of all is the one she’s telling herself: that she’s not falling in love with Cade.
Read the audiobook review here
Amazon: https://amzn.to/3XFCvgN
Movie Review
Based on the New York Times bestseller, Red, White & Royal Blue centers around Alex, the president’s son, and Britain’s Prince Henry whose long-running feud threatens to drive a wedge in U.S./British relations. When the rivals are forced into a staged truce, their icy relationship begins to thaw and the friction between them sparks something deeper than they ever expected.
Read the movie review here
Watch it on Amazon Prime Video: https://amzn.to/45ohL14
⭐️⭐️⭐️ Mixed feelings
Falling for the wrong person?
Bury your feelings.
Callum Flannelly would rather dive into an open grave than take a stranger to dinner and a movie. But he can only inherit the family undertaking business and carry on their legacy under one condition: He must marry before his 35th birthday. So it’s out of the mortuary and into the dating scene.
Lark Thompson would rather get crushed by a falling anvil than live next to a funeral home during her stay in Galway, Ireland. The vivacious American cartoon creator and animator came here to embrace life, not be reminded of losing her husband.
When Lark learns of Callum’s dilemma and aversion to marrying out of necessity rather than love, she agrees to help the introverted mortician. Although sworn off love herself, she is optimistic that Callum can find The One and secure his inheritance.
But as the dating project progresses and their friendship grows, so does a mutual attraction. The more time she spends with serious, sarcastic Callum, the more she dreads finding him a match. And the more disastrous dates he endures, the more trepidation he feels for Lark’s imminent return to the states.
If they think it’s possible to ignore their connection, they’re dead wrong.
———–
Content Note: Morbidly Yours is an adult contemporary romantic comedy. While optimistic and humorous, the story contains frank and sometimes graphic depiction of caring for the dead in a funeral home, navigating grief after the loss of a spouse, terminal illness, and explicit sexual content between (enthusiastically!) consenting adults. Brief mention of ableism is also present, condemned by the characters, the narrative, and by the author. If you are sensitive to these themes, please be mindful.
Read the review here
Amazon: https://amzn.to/3KSdETl
Mini Review
Hotel manager Eloise Price is getting a crash course in being careful what you wish for. After years of dreaming about owning the historic Crane Hotel, she was thrilled when her former boss left half of the hotel to her in his will. But dreams have a funny way of turning into nightmares and all that original plumbing has sucked her bank account dry. It doesn’t help that her co-owner hasn’t lifted a finger to help. Would a jury convict her if she strangled him?
Graham Thatcher has it all. A thriving tech business, great friends, and a not-so-small obsession with a romantic Victorian drama that he keeps secret from everyone but his anonymous message board friend. The last thing he wanted was half of the decrepit hotel his great uncle left him in his will. After months of increasingly terse emails and zero progress, Graham finally travels to sleepy Crane Cove, Oregon to convince his stubborn co-owner to see things his way. Except Eloise is not at all what he was expecting, and with every passing day, Graham begins to question if what he thought he didn’t want is exactly what he needs.
And his elusive internet friend? She might be a little closer than he thinks.
Read the mini review here
Amazon: https://amzn.to/44KIiG5
Mini Review
All I wanted was a break–two weeks off from being Pixie Hart, country music sensation, and fourteen days of peace, privacy, and solitude as plain old Kelly Jo Sullivan.
But thanks to some overzealous paparazzi, my family refuses to let me go anywhere alone, and I’m stuck sharing this tiny cabin with a tall, dark, and bearded bodyguard.
And guess what? There’s only one bed.
Well, he can couch it.
Xander Buckley might be hotter than a stolen blow torch, and I get that he’s a former Navy SEAL and all, but the man gives new meaning to the words overbearing, overprotective, bossy alpha male. I can’t even post a photo on social media without him warning me it’s not safe, or take a morning jog without him following behind.
But he’s made it clear that what he says goes, and if I don’t like it, I can kiss my vacation goodbye.
Instead, I end up kissing him.
I don’t even know how it happened–one minute we were at each other’s throats, the next we were at each other’s mercy. What’s even more shocking is how good we are together. He understands my need for freedom, and I understand his need for control.
But emotional trust doesn’t come easily to me. And we’re on two completely different paths.
Without question, I’d put my life in his hands.
Just don’t ask me to give him my heart.
Read the mini review here
Amazon: https://amzn.to/3KGnuHz
Check out this week’s new releases here.
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